I'll be in Springfield, Missouri from this Thursday evening (8/31) thru Sunday. My girlfriend is in a wedding there Saturday and I'm going to have quite a bit of free time during the bachelorette party Thursday night and the wedding prep Friday.

I plan to stop in at Springfield Brewing Company on Thursday evening. Since BYO's Ashton "Mr. Wizard" Lewis is the brewmaster there, I'm looking forward to trying them out.

Well, just in case somebody goes there, does a search for this topic in the future, or gets roped into taking the old folks to Branson and has to go somewhere for their own sanity, here are my recommendations:

Springfield Brewing Company is a nice place and inexpensive, at least by Chicago standards. I had ten beers and it ran me $26.00. The Märzen and Porter were my favorites; the Porter was excellent. The other beers were decent - I wasn't blown away, but I wasn't let down either. The only disappointment was their IPA - no hop aroma or flavor to speak of. Maybe it had sat too long.

But my favorite, must-visit place was Patton Alley Pub! Nice place, very good service, a great selection of beers and the best burger my girlfirend and I have had in a long, long time. We ordered them with the Cajun spices and BBQ sauce on the side. Burgers are served with their homemade potato chips and those things rock! Went very well with our Schlafly Pale Ale!

We'll I found this too late, but will add another reply to do with Springfield, Missouri.

Springfield has a few good places but one of the best came in gone within a short amount of time. It was Hickok's and they had GREAT beer.

Springfield Brewing Co. is alright, but could get a little more extreme. I go there with an open mind and try to enjoy the beer as much as possible. The beer is good if you are going to make a judgeable beer that is right down the middle of beer styles. I have been asked why I don't think it's that great when they contentiously win great awards. Their Pale is thin and kind of tastes of stale hops. It's alright but not great. The Lager is the same way. They can make a better than mediocre stout though. They also win me over with their Brew Master Special seasonal. They had a Chipotle Ale that was awesome that I have not seen made since and a great "Parliament Stout." IMHO, Brew Co. is a Shrine to Bass Pro and Mueller Steel. But, I have strong opinions of this town. I'm pretty jaded!

Mud Lounge is my #1 Favorite and Patton Alley is a good one too.

We will have another in this town, and if the beer is good, I hope it lasts! It will be called C-Street Brewing Co. on Commercial St.

But I brew most the beer I drink and when I need something different the Brown Derby Wine Center always has a bunch of great brews in stock and ready for me!

I miss Springfield... I'm a Missouri State alumni (was still SMSU when I graduated), and of course while I was in college there life revolved around BMC, although I do think Springfield Brewing Co was my first introduction to craft brews.

Springfield Brewing Co. is the only bar I've ever frequented in Springfield, MO. The beer is OK, all things considered, but certainly left me wanting. Their brewing setup in the restaurant isn't even used, it's all just for show. They brew all their beer off-site which somehow lessens the novelty for me. This brewpub is considerably less impressive than its sister brewery in Kansas City, 75th Street Brewery.

Not true, all beer is brewed on site. The information you received is false, they have never had a beer brewed off site.... NEVER! Just in case someone reads this later and thinks its true. Don't slam a brewery unless you have factual information. There is no sister brewery to brew co, when it very first opened 15 years ago the restaurant was ran by KC hops, which also runs 75th. That's where the connection ends, it was then sold(just the restaurant) to an individual who ran the restaurant for years. The brewing aspect has always been done by Ashton, who works for mueller. Here's the history, it was originally built as a showroom for mueller steel and the brewing department to bring international and national customers to display the equipment. Then they realized they could be making beer and selling it so they did. They use all the equipment you see, (I have personally used it so I know, I was a brew bitch there for a while), and again, have never ever brought in outside beer or had any beer brewed off site. I love their beers! Not just because I worked there, I'm very un-biased. I love any and all good beers!

Not true, all beer is brewed on site. The information you received is false, they have never had a beer brewed off site.... NEVER! Just in case someone reads this later and thinks its true. Don't slam a brewery unless you have factual information. There is no sister brewery to brew co, when it very first opened 15 years ago the restaurant was ran by KC hops, which also runs 75th. That's where the connection ends, it was then sold(just the restaurant) to an individual who ran the restaurant for years. The brewing aspect has always been done by Ashton, who works for mueller. Here's the history, it was originally built as a showroom for mueller steel and the brewing department to bring international and national customers to display the equipment. Then they realized they could be making beer and selling it so they did. They use all the equipment you see, (I have personally used it so I know, I was a brew bitch there for a while), and again, have never ever brought in outside beer or had any beer brewed off site. I love their beers! Not just because I worked there, I'm very un-biased. I love any and all good beers!

It wasn't a slam. If I remember correctly... Considering this thread is almost THREE YEARS OLD. Someone who worked at Springfield brew co. told me the setup we saw wasn't what they used. Don't blame the messenger. Sorry I didn't do my due journalistic diligence. Judging them only by their beer though they did (and still) leave much to be desired. Sorry but their beer just isn't that good. I've never left there and thought it was any more than just OK. They're better than Mom's though.

__________________
'Kilgore Trout once wrote a short story which was a dialogue between two pieces of yeast. They were discussing the possible purposes of life as they ate sugar and suffocated in their own excrement. Because of their limited intelligence, they never came close to guessing that they were making champagne.'

For those still interested in SGF, we have a (relatively) new brewery here, named Mother's Brewing Company. I really enjoy everything they put out, and they have a tasting room where you can go get a pint of anything they offer at the time, and have a good chat with anyone that works there. They're all very interested and knowledgeable about beers, and many are homebrewers, or were before they madee the jump to professional. They do tours and tasting every Saturday afternoon. I've been down there quite a few times and really enjoy the beer, company, and wealth of knowledge they have.